First, check your insurance. My employer's insurance covered SOME of the cost of my hearing aids. My current United Health Care Advantage plan covers some also. Hearing aids are expensive.
Second, as advised above, have your hearing professionally checked after consulting your doctor to determine if the hearing loss is something that can be corrected. Hearing loss is common and, if you are worrying about appearance, hearing aids are less obvious than glasses.
Third, in my somewhat limited experience, I found that neither of my hearing tests were conducted with the same level of 'science' or professionalism as when my eye-sight has been checked for glasses. With eye testing, you can actually see what the final prescription will be with the corrective lenses they dial in with the tester. They essentially allow you to see as well as ever. With a hearing test, they determine what frequency 'channels' need to be amplified but you don't hear the result until after you buy the hearing aids and have them programmed. I have 'top of the line' Starkeys and they allow me to hear much better - but the fidelity is really not like the real thing.
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